Cleaning Dryer Vents Properly Requires Specialized Tools

June 14, 2022

Clothes dryers make your life in Palm Desert, CA more convenient. Instead of spending hours hanging and removing laundry from a clothesline every week, you can just pop it into the dryer and do something else for an hour. Each load of laundry leaves behind some lint. While you likely clean the lint trap before each load, you might not have realized that lint also builds up in the dryer vent. Dryer vent cleaning requires specialized tools to prevent damage to the delicate and essential ventilation equipment.

Flexible Brushes

Some dryers have ductwork with many bends and corners. To clean areas where lint could get trapped and ignite, qualified service technicians use specialized duct brushes. These brushes look like toilet brushes, but they offer enhanced flexibility. The brush heads rotate 360 degrees.

Hoses With Skipper Nozzles

Experienced dryer service technicians also use special hoses with a unique nozzle. The hoses range from 10 to 30 feet in length to reach all the way through the dryer ductwork. Made of flexible rubber, the hoses resist corrosion and insulate against heat. The nozzles facilitate forward and backward sweeping of a skipper head. These heads have thin, flexible bristles and attach to the nozzle. When assembled, the hose, nozzle, and head clear all debris out of every twist and turn of the dryer vent.

How Often to Clean Dryer Vents

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, failure to clean the dryer vent is the top cause of clothes dryer fires. After each load of laundry, clean the lint trap. Once each year, have a qualified service technician visit your home to clean the dryer vent’s ductwork with the right tools for the job. Keeping up with this maintenance lowers your risk of a dryer fire and carbon monoxide poisoning caused by blocked dryer vents.

For more information about dryer vent safety, take a look at Palm Desert Air Conditioning and Heating Co.’s dryer vent cleaning services, or get in touch with our qualified service technicians today.